Fitzsimmons Cruz Mini Course: Animals of New York

Navigation Links:

Link to my portfolio page: Daniel Fitzsimmons Cruz's ID Portfolio Page

Overview and Purpose

An image showing the various New York State Animals — New York State Animals

I am excited to welcome you to my mini-course on Animals of New York State. I have worked at the New York State Museum for the past two years and am excited to share my knowledge and expertise in a subject I know a lot of fifth graders are interested in.

The course will last for two weeks. Due to this condensed timeframe, the workload may seem quite vigorous. I would suggest sitting down with your parent and going over the syllabus and other essential documents of the course.

This course covers information relating to the various animals that have called and continue to call New York State their home. Most people like animals, so this is an easy topic to get excited about. Even if you are not the biggest fan, it is still important to realize the history of animals in our state and the important role they play in our ecosystems. We live in an age where animal populations are decreasing rapidly and it is up to us to ensure their survival. To successfully do this, I believe we must first learn their history. Hopefully, this mini-course can shed some light on the wide variety of animals we have in New York State, where they come from and how they have adapted to our modern world.

The course has a variety of learning materials, all of which will be available online. There are some activities that require crafting supplies, but most of these should be readily available. The majority of the course is made up of online lectures, slideshows, videos, quizzes, and discussions. These are meant to give students various opportunities to show what they have learned.

Needs Assessment

A large portion of the State Museum's visitors are from Albany or New York City. Due to a variety of reasons, such as location, wealth, and lack of interest, these students do not have the opportunity to experience the various natural landscapes of New York State. Through class discussion, group projects, and hands-on activities, students will be better able to recognize the different features and traits of various New York State animals. Students will build on the knowledge they already have and develop further skills when it comes to identifying the environments these animals live in and the environmental steps necessary to preserve spaces in New York State where these animals can continue to thrive.

Performance Objectives

Identify and describe various animals.
Understand the variety of animal species in New York State.
Utilize knowledge gained to better understand environmental practices.

Course Units

This mini-course includes the following units. Click the title of a unit to go to its page.

Unit 1: Ice Age Animals Intro

While New York State has many different habitats and animals today, that was not always the case. Before New York State was habitable, it was covered by massive layers of ice known as glaciers. It took millions of years for New York State to look like it does today. This unit explores the end of the Ice Age, the variety of habitats that formed after the glaciers left, and the different types of animals that colonized the area.

Unit 1 Lesson 1: The Ice Age

Unit 1 Lesson 2: Ice Age Animals

Unit 1 Lesson 3: Extinct vs Extant

Unit 2: Aquatic Animals

When people think of New York State, they might not think that we have a wide variety of different aquatic animals, but we do. In fact, only Alaska, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota have more freshwater than we do. New York State has a variety of water-based biomes that cater to a variety of aquatic wildlife of all shapes and sizes. These regions can be found all over the state for centuries, yet are also some of the most endangered areas we have. These habitats are quickly disappearing and becoming over-polluted, which has threatened the existence of many of the animals that call these places home.

Unit 2 Lesson 1- Freshwater Animals

Unit 2 Lesson 2 - Saltwater Animals

Unit 3: Birds of New York

Birds are one of the most common animals in the world. This is no different for New York State. There are over 503 bird species that call New York State home for at least part of the year. From the big cities to the rugged Adirondack Mountains, birds can be found in every region and biome in New York State. These birds come in all shapes and colors, but they all have one thing in common: they help contribute to the varied ecosystems they find themselves in.

Unit 3 Lesson 1- Bird Species and Habitats.

Unit 3 Lesson 2: Bird Observations

Unit 4: Land Mammals

Mammals make up the majority of the land creatures that inhabit New York State. Humans represent the dominant mammal. However, 70 other land mammals live in New York State. They can be broken down into two groups: predators and prey. Several key differences separate the animals in each group, including their habitats, diet, and lifestyle.

Unit 3 - Lesson 1: Predators

Unit 3 - Lesson 2: Prey